


Training Ground

by masulevin



Series: A Sword to Pierce the Sun [1]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Developing Relationship, F/M, Sparring at Haven, my tiny lavellan has a greatsword and I think that's adorable, that sexual tension that happens when two people who like each other are practice fighting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-29
Updated: 2016-08-29
Packaged: 2018-08-11 21:43:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7908658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/masulevin/pseuds/masulevin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Idri Lavellan decides to spend some of her down-time in Haven helping the troops learn how to defend against a greatsword and challenges the Commander to a match.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Training Ground

It’s perfectly normal to stare. That's how everyone reacts to the Herald, even before they see her fighting. It isn't just that she's the smallest, most beautiful woman he’s ever seen--although that’s certainly true--it’s also that she’s the strongest. 

She marched to the Breach with her head held high, a greatsword strapped to her back, and saved them all. She walked among the people of Haven with her chin up, letting them call her Herald of Andraste, even as she proudly bore the vallaslin on her face that marked her as Dalish, a believer in the Creators. She attended meetings in the War Room, listening patiently to what they had to say, then cast the deciding vote time and again. She fought demons and sealed rifts without a complaint, though he knew the mark must hurt her.

And now, today, when she could be resting--when she deserved to be resting--she was working with his troops. She sparred with them, one or two at a time, teaching them how to use their swords and shields against her greatsword.

At first they had laughed. The sword was almost as tall as she was, and it looked like it weighed just as much. She goaded one of the recruits into the sparring ring with her by implying he was afraid to be beaten by someone so small. He fell first to her bait and then to her sword, knocked off his feet by her powerful swing.

That had drawn everyone’s attention.

The other recruits, templars, and healers circled around the practice area as she gave helpful tips to the recruits, but still easily trounced them all. They started clamoring for their turn to spar her, lining up to be the first one to bring the Herald down. She fought them without complaint--with a smile on her face--praising each one as they got better at withstanding her attacks. 

When the last recruit gave up, surrendering to their bruised bodies and bruised egos, she slung the greatsword over one shoulder and turned to eye him with a wide smile lighting up her face. His mouth went dry when he thought he was caught staring--until he realized everyone else was staring too. Her grace and strength in the practice ring had drawn a crowd as easily as it did when she used it to help the refugees. 

“Care to show them how it’s done, Commander?”

Her challenge rang out clearly from where she stood in the center of the ring to where he hovered on the outside of it, hands grasping onto the pommel of his sword to keep them from trembling. Her eyes sparkled when she saw him considering it, then she laughed when he nodded. 

He grabbed a shield from the closest recruit and stalked into the ring to cheers from the gathered crowd. He stopped a few paces away from her and saluted her with one hand fisted over his heart. She smirked at him.

“Take off your armor so they can see what you’re doing.” It was a command, not a request, and he arched his eyebrows at her before complying. She turned and walked to the opposite side of the area, handing her greatsword to Cassandra, who took it with a questioning look on her face.

Facing away from Cullen, Idri shucked her warm armored jacket and sighed in relief as the cold winter air cooled her sweaty skin. She still had on a thin tunic, but it did little to hide the firm ripple of muscles across her arms and back. Sweat had soaked through down the center of her back and between her breasts, and when she took her greatsword back from Cassandra and turned to face Cullen, and he suddenly forgot how to breathe.

He froze, eyes quickly taking in her body. Under layers of armor and clothing, she had seemed small and almost fragile. But now it was clear that he had underestimated her, even after watching her trounce most of his recruits. She was strong and capable, exuding confidence in her every move. His gaze raked back up to her face, looking at the golden halo of curls held back from her face with a wide band, at the full lips that curled into a smirk, and the grey eyes that still sparkled in amusement.

He was in trouble, and not just for this sparring match.

“Ready?” she asked, already done with her own perusal of his appearance. He was as strong and wide as she’d imagined, even after losing the fur pauldrons and all of that plate armor. She wondered, very briefly, if she could get him to agree to a hand-to-hand combat demonstration, before realizing that wasn’t something she wanted to do in front of the entire town of Haven.

Maybe a private demonstration then.

He nodded and they saluted to each other before drawing their weapons. They circled each other, each gauging their opponent, strategizing their next move. Despite watching her spar for the majority of the afternoon, Cullen was inclined to be easy on her. She was so much smaller than him, surely--

She struck first, sensing his wandering thoughts. He deflected her blow with his shield and stepped into her attack with his sword, but she quickly danced out of the way. Her longer weapon made it easier for her to stay out of his reach, but it also made it more important that she do so. She moved quickly despite her afternoon lessons, and they traded blows for several minutes.

A fine sheen of sweat broke out on Cullen’s skin in spite of the cold air. He didn’t know her history, how or why she learned to fight like this, but it was amazing to witness and wonderful to participate in.

She stepped back into an uneven patch of dirt and faltered, so he used his shield to knock her down. She landed on her back with a thud, losing her grip on her sword, all of her air leaving her body in a rush. She gasped and rolled onto her side, and he stepped forward to ask if she was injured.

That’s when she struck, lashing out at his knees with her feet. He crumpled in surprise and she knocked his longsword away from him, pulling a dagger from her boot as she moved to kneel on his chest. His eyes widened as the cold metal pressed against the pulse point on his neck, hard enough to be uncomfortable but not hard enough to break the skin.

She was breathing hard, chest heaving, but her smile was back as she asked, “Do you yield?”

A long moment passed as she waited for his answer, a moment where he stared at her lips, tempted to flip them over and press himself against her. A breeze picked up, cooling his flushed skin and tousling her curls even more than they already were, reminding him of where they were and who could see them.

Cassandra would never let him forget this.

“I yield.” His voice was strong, and his admission carried easily across the practice yard.

A cheer went up from the watchers as she smiled down at him, flashing her white teeth, and she stood, sliding her dagger back into her boot and offering him a hand up. He took it and stood next to her, pink creeping across his cheeks, and she clapped him on the back.

“Next time, don’t take it easy on me, and you might win.” She whispered it, reaching up on her tiptoes to make it easier for him to hear. 

He quirked an eyebrow and looked down at her. “Next time?”

“Of course, Commander. Your men still need to learn.” She turned and retrieved her sword, holding it over one shoulder as she pushed through the crowd to go back to her tent.

He watched her trail away, Cassandra following with the armored coat in her hands, and found himself looking forward to their next turn in the ring.

**Author's Note:**

> Cross-posted on my [tumblr](http://ma-sulevin.tumblr.com).


End file.
